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 Paraguayportal |
This article contains a list of heads of state of Paraguay since the beginning of its independence (1811) to the present day.
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| Paraguayportal |
This article contains a list of heads of state of Paraguay since the beginning of its independence (1811) to the present day.
After Paraguay proclaimed independence from the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, its first effective head of state was utopist José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, who ruled the country from 1814 until his death in 1840, with very little outside contact or influence. [1]
Since the establishment of the office of President of the Republic in 1844, during the family dictatorship of the López family (1841–1870), Paraguay had 51 presidents. Between the end of the Paraguayan War in 1870 and the 1954 coup d'état, the country changed 44 presidents; 24 of them were removed from power by force. [2] Eventually, Army General Alfredo Stroessner, supported by the Armed Forces and the right-wing Colorado Party, seized power in the 1954 coup d'état. Relying on the military and the party as the "twin pillars" of his rule, [3] and ruling in the single-party system until 1962, [4] Stroessner was elected for eight consecutive terms before being ousted from power in the 1989 coup d'état. His 35-year-long rule was one of the longest in history by a non-royal leader.
† Died in office
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Title | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| – |    | Bernardo de Velasco (1742–1821) José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia (1766–1840) Juan Valeriano de Zevallos | 16 May 1811 | 17 June 1811 | 32 days | Governor Intendants |
| – |  | Fulgencio Yegros (1780–1821) | 17 June 1811 | 12 October 1813 | 2 years, 117 days | President of the Superior Governing Junta |
| – |  | José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia (1766–1840) | 12 October 1813 | 12 February 1814 | 1 year, 123 days | Consul of the Republic |
| – | | Fulgencio Yegros (1780–1821) | 12 February 1814 | 12 June 1814 | 120 days | Consul of the Republic |
| – | | José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia (1766–1840) | 12 June 1814 | 3 October 1814 | 26 years, 100 days | Consul of the Republic |
| 3 October 1814 | 30 May 1816 | Supreme Dictator | ||||
| 30 May 1816 | 20 September 1840 [†] | Perpetual Dictator | ||||
| – |  | Manuel Antonio Ortiz (?–?) | 20 September 1840 | 21 January 1841 | 32 days | President of the Provisional Junta |
| – |   | Juan José Medina José Gabriel Benítez José Domingo Ocampos | 21 January 1841 | 9 February 1841 | 19 days | Triumvirate |
| – |  | Mariano Roque Alonso (1792–1853) | 9 February 1841 | 12 March 1841 | 31 days | General Commander of Arms |
| – |  | Carlos Antonio López (1792–1862) Mariano Roque Alonso (1792–1853) | 12 March 1841 | 13 March 1844 | 3 years, 1 day | Consuls of the Republic |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected | Term of office | Political party | Vice president(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
| 1 | | Carlos Antonio López (1792–1862) | — | 13 March 1844 | 10 September 1862 [†] | 18 years, 181 days | Independent | Mariano González Vacant from 1846 to 1862 |
| 2 |  | Francisco Solano López (1827–1870) | — | 10 September 1862 | 1 March 1870 (Killed in action) | 7 years, 172 days | Independent | Domingo Francisco Sánchez |
| 3 |  | Facundo Machaín (1845–1877) | — | 31 August 1870 | 1 September 1870 | 1 day | Independent | Vacant throughout presidency |
| 4 |  | Cirilo Antonio Rivarola (1832–1878) | 1870 | 1 September 1870 | 18 December 1871 | 1 year, 93 days | Independent | Cayo Miltos |
| 5 |  | Salvador Jovellanos (1833–1881) | — | 18 December 1871 | 25 November 1874 | 2 years, 342 days | Independent | Vacant throughout presidency |
| 6 |  | Juan Baustista Gill (1840–1877) | 1874 | 25 November 1874 | 12 April 1877 | 2 years, 138 days | Independent | Higinio Uriarte |
| 7 |  | Higinio Uriarte (1843–1909) | — | 12 April 1877 | 25 November 1878 | 1 year, 227 days | Independent | Vacant throughout presidency |
| 8 |  | Cándido Bareiro (1834–1880) | 1878 | 25 November 1878 | 4 September 1880 [†] | 1 year, 284 days | Independent | Adolfo Saguier |
| 9 |  | Bernardino Caballero (1839–1912) | — | 4 September 1880 | 25 November 1886 | 6 years, 82 days | Independent | Vacant Juan Antonio Jara |
| 10 |  | Patricio Escobar (1843–1912) | 1886 | 25 November 1886 | 25 November 1890 | 4 years | Independent (until 1887) | José del Rosario Miranda |
| Colorado | ||||||||
| 11 |  | Juan Gualberto González (1851–1912) | 1890 | 25 November 1890 | 9 June 1894 | 3 years, 196 days | Colorado | Marcos Morínigo |
| 12 |  | Marcos Morínigo (1848–1901) | — | 9 June 1894 | 25 November 1894 | 169 days | Colorado | Vacant throughout presidency |
| 13 |  | Juan Bautista Egusquiza (1845–1902) | 1894 | 25 November 1894 | 25 November 1898 | 4 years | Colorado | Facundo Ynsfrán Caballero |
| 14 |  | Emilio Aceval (1851–1931) | 1898 | 25 November 1898 | 9 January 1902 | 3 years, 45 days | Colorado | Andrés Héctor Carvallo |
| 15 |  | Andrés Héctor Carvallo (1862–1934) | — | 9 January 1902 | 25 November 1902 | 320 days | Colorado | Vacant throughout presidency |
| 16 |  | Juan Antonio Escurra (1859–1929) | 1902 | 25 November 1902 | 19 December 1904 | 2 years, 24 days | Colorado | Manuel Domínguez |
| 17 |  | Juan Bautista Gaona (1845–1932) | — | 19 December 1904 | 9 December 1905 | 355 days | Liberal | Vacant throughout presidency |
| 18 |  | Cecilio Báez (1862–1941) | — | 9 December 1905 | 25 November 1906 | 351 days | Liberal | Vacant throughout presidency |
| 19 |  | Benigno Ferreira (1846–1920) | 1906 | 25 November 1906 | 4 July 1908 | 1 year, 222 days | Liberal | Emiliano González Navero |
| 20 |  | Emiliano González Navero (1861–1841) | — | 4 July 1908 | 25 November 1910 | 2 years, 144 days | Liberal | Vacant throughout presidency |
| 21 |  | Manuel Gondra (1872–1927) | 1910 | 25 November 1910 | 17 January 1911 | 53 days | Liberal | Juan Bautista Gaona |
| 22 |  | Albino Jara (1877–1912) | — | 17 January 1911 | 5 July 1911 | 169 days | Liberal | Vacant throughout presidency |
| 23 |  | Liberato Marcial Rojas (1870–1922) | — | 5 July 1911 | 28 February 1912 | 238 days | Liberal | Vacant throughout presidency |
| 24 |  | Pedro Pablo Peña (1864–1943) | — | 28 February 1912 | 22 March 1912 | 23 days | Colorado | Vacant throughout presidency |
| (20) | | Emiliano González Navero (1861–1841) | — | 22 March 1912 | 15 August 1912 | 146 days | Liberal | Vacant throughout presidency |
| 25 |  | Eduardo Schaerer (1873–1941) | 1912 | 15 August 1912 | 15 August 1916 | 4 years | Liberal | Pedro Bobadilla |
| 26 |  | Manuel Franco (1871–1919) | 1916 | 15 August 1916 | 5 June 1919 [†] | 2 years, 294 days | Liberal | José Pedro Montero |
| 27 |  | José Pedro Montero (1878–1927) | — | 5 June 1919 | 15 August 1920 | 1 year, 71 days | Liberal | Vacant throughout presidency |
| (21) |  | Manuel Gondra (1872–1927) | 1920 | 15 August 1920 | 7 November 1921 | 1 year, 84 days | Liberal | Félix Paiva |
| 28 |  | Eusebio Ayala (1875–1942) | — | 7 November 1921 | 12 April 1923 | 1 year, 156 days | Liberal | Vacant throughout presidency |
| 29 |  | Eligio Ayala (1878–1930) | — | 12 April 1923 | 17 March 1924 | 340 days | Liberal | Vacant throughout presidency |
| 30 |  | Luis Alberto Riart (1880–1953) | — | 17 March 1924 | 15 August 1924 | 151 days | Liberal | Vacant throughout presidency |
| (29) | | Eligio Ayala (1878–1930) | 1924 | 15 August 1924 | 15 August 1928 | 4 years | Liberal | Manuel Burgos |
| 31 |  | José Patricio Guggiari (1884–1957) | 1928 | 15 August 1928 | 15 August 1932 | 4 years | Liberal | Emiliano González Navero |
| (28) |  | Eusebio Ayala (1875–1942) | 1932 | 15 August 1932 | 17 February 1936 | 3 years, 186 days | Liberal | Raúl Casal Ribeiro |
| 32 |  | Rafael Franco (1896–1973) | — | 17 February 1936 | 15 August 1937 | 1 year, 179 days | Independent | Vacant throughout presidency |
| 33 |  | Félix Paiva (1877–1965) | — | 15 August 1937 | 15 August 1939 | 2 years | Liberal | Vacant throughout presidency |
| 34 |  | José Félix Estigarribia (1888–1940) | 1939 | 15 August 1939 | 7 September 1940 [†] | 1 year, 23 days | Liberal | Luis Alberto Riart Position abolished |
| Independent (from 1940) | ||||||||
| 35 |  | Higinio Morínigo (1897–1983) | — | 7 September 1940 | 3 June 1948 | 7 years, 270 days | Independent | Position abolished |
| 36 |  | Juan Manuel Frutos (1879–1960) | — | 3 June 1948 | 15 August 1948 | 73 days | Colorado | Position abolished |
| 37 |  | Juan Natalicio González (1897–1966) | 1948 | 15 August 1948 | 30 January 1949 | 168 days | Colorado | Position abolished |
| 38 |  | Raimundo Rolón (1903–1981) | — | 30 January 1949 | 26 February 1949 | 27 days | Colorado | Position abolished |
| 39 |  | Felipe Molas López (1901–1954) | — | 26 February 1949 | 11 September 1949 | 197 days | Colorado | Position abolished |
| 40 |  | Federico Chaves (1882–1978) | — | 11 September 1949 | 4 May 1954 | 4 years, 235 days | Colorado | Position abolished |
| 41 |  | Tomás Romero Pereira (1886–1982) | — | 4 May 1954 | 15 August 1954 | 103 days | Colorado | Position abolished |
| 42 |  | Alfredo Stroessner (1912–2006) | 1954 | 15 August 1954 | 3 February 1989 | 34 years, 172 days | Colorado | Position abolished |
| 43 |  | Andrés Rodríguez (1923–1997) | 1989 | 3 February 1989 | 15 August 1993 | 4 years, 193 days | Colorado | Position abolished |
| 44 |  | Juan Carlos Wasmosy (b. 1938) | 1993 | 15 August 1993 | 15 August 1998 | 5 years | Colorado | Ángel Seifart |
| 45 |  | Raúl Cubas (b. 1943) | 1998 | 15 August 1998 | 28 March 1999 | 225 days | Colorado | Luis María Argaña |
| 46 |  | Luis González Macchi (b. 1947) | — | 28 March 1999 | 15 August 2003 | 4 years, 140 days | Colorado | Vacant Vacant |
| 47 |  | Nicanor Duarte (b. 1956) | 2003 | 15 August 2003 | 15 August 2008 | 5 years | Colorado | Luis Castiglioni |
| 48 |  | Fernando Lugo (b. 1951) | 2008 | 15 August 2008 | 22 June 2012 | 3 years, 312 days | Christian Democrat (APC) | Federico Franco |
| 49 |  | Federico Franco (b. 1962) | — | 22 June 2012 | 15 August 2013 | 1 year, 54 days | Liberal | Oscar Denis |
| 50 |  | Horacio Cartes (b. 1956) | 2013 | 15 August 2013 | 15 August 2018 | 5 years | Colorado | Juan Afara |
| 51 |  | Mario Abdo (b. 1971) | 2018 | 15 August 2018 | 15 August 2023 | 5 years | Colorado | Hugo Velázquez |
| 52 |  | Santiago Peña (b. 1978) | 2023 | 15 August 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year, 79 days | Colorado | Pedro Alliana |
Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. It has a population of around 6.1 million, nearly 2.3 million of whom live in the capital and largest city of Asunción, and its surrounding metro area.
The history of Paraguay encompasses thousands of years of human habitation. Both agricultural and nomadic Guaycuruan lived in the region at the time of the Spanish Conquest. It became a relatively neglected part of the Spanish Empire due to its isolation and lack of mineral wealth, nonetheless a small group of Spanish settlers came to reside in the area, increasingly intermarrying with native women to produce a mestizo population. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Jesuit missionaries organized the natives into planned communities known as reducciones, and the experiment gained notable attention in Enlightenment Era Europe.
Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda was a Paraguayan army officer, politician, and dictator who served as President of Paraguay from 15 August 1954 until his overthrow from power on 3 February 1989. His rule is commonly referred inside Paraguay as El Stronato.
Andrés Rodríguez Pedotti was a military officer and politician, being President of Paraguay from February 3, 1989, to August 15, 1993. He led the coup d'état on February 2 and 3, 1989, against the dictator Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda.
Manuel Deodoro da Fonseca was a Brazilian politician and military officer who served as the first president of Brazil. He was born in Alagoas in a military family, followed a military career, and became a national figure. Fonseca took office as provisional president after heading a military coup that deposed Emperor Pedro II and established the First Brazilian Republic in 1889, disestablishing the Empire. After his election in 1891, he stepped down the same year under great political pressure when he dissolved the National Congress. He died less than a year later.
The National Republican Association, also known as the Colorado Party, is a conservative political party in Paraguay, founded on 11 September 1887 by Bernardino Caballero. Since 1947, the colorados, as they are known, has been dominant in Paraguayan politics and has controlled the presidency since 1948 –notwithstanding a brief interruption between 2008 and 2013– as well as having a majority in both chambers of Congress and department governorships.
Fernando Armindo Lugo Méndez is a Paraguayan politician and laicized Catholic bishop who was President of Paraguay from 2008 to 2012. Previously, he was a Roman Catholic priest and bishop, serving as Bishop of the Diocese of San Pedro from 1994 to 2005. He was elected as president in 2008, an election that ended 61 years of rule by the Colorado Party.
The Republic of Paraguay is governed under the constitution of 1992, which is the country's sixth since independence from Spain in 1811.
Brazil–Paraguay relations are foreign relations between Brazil and Paraguay.
Below is the timeline of Paraguayan history.
General elections were held in Paraguay on 14 February 1988. Alfredo Stroessner of the Colorado Party won the presidential elections, whilst the Colorado Party won 20 of the 30 seats in the Senate and 40 of the 60 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. Voter turnout was 92%.
Constitutional Assembly elections were held in Paraguay on 7 May 1967. The Colorado Party won 80 of the 120 seats. Voter turnout was 68.9%. Following the election, the country's fifth constitution was promulgated in August.
Fernando Lugo, elected President of Paraguay in 2008, was impeached and removed from office by the Congress of Paraguay in June 2012. On 21 June the Chamber of Deputies voted 76 to 1 to impeach Lugo, and the Senate removed him from office the following day, by 39 votes to 4, resulting in Vice President Federico Franco, who had broken with Lugo, becoming President. Lugo contends he was denied due process because he did not have enough time to prepare a defense. A number of Latin American governments declared the proceeding was effectively a coup d'état. Lugo himself formally accepted the impeachment, but called it a "parliamentary coup".
The dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner, colloquially known as the Stronismo or Stronato, was the period of almost 35 years in the history of Paraguay in which army general Alfredo Stroessner ruled the country as a de facto one-party state under an authoritarian military dictatorship, from 15 August 1954 to 3 February 1989.
The 1954 Paraguayan coup d'état occurred in May 1954. It was led by Alfredo Stroessner, with the support of Epifanio Méndez Fleitas, and resulted in the overthrow of the government of Federico Chávez. The coup was the culmination of a complex series of political rivalries within the ruling Colorado Party. Approximately 25 people were killed during the putsch, which helped set the stage for the election of Stroessner as president of Paraguay later that year.
Marcial Samaniego López was a Paraguayan general, author, and government official. He served in President Alfredo Stroessner's government when Stroessner took office following a 1954 coup d'etat, and continued in various ministerial roles into the 1980s.
The 1989 Paraguayan coup d'état, also known as La Noche de la Candelaria, was a coup d'état that took place on 2–3 February 1989 in Asunción, Paraguay, led by General Andrés Rodríguez against the regime of long-time leader Alfredo Stroessner. The bloody overthrow which saw numerous soldiers killed in street fighting was sparked by a power struggle in the highest echelons of the government. Rodríguez's takeover spelled the end of El Stronato, Stroessner's thirty-four year long rule, at the time the longest in Latin America, and led to an array of reforms which abolished numerous draconian laws and led to the liberalization of Paraguay.
The 1996 Paraguayan coup d'état attempt was an attempted coup d'état in Paraguay that took place between 22 April and 25 April 1996 with the purpose of deposing then President of Paraguay Juan Carlos Wasmosy. The attempted coup was undertaken by then Army General Lino Oviedo, who declared himself in rebellion against the president for forcing Oviedo into retirement. The attempted coup caused a serious political crisis that would last for three days, being the first serious crisis to occur after the fall of Alfredo Stroessner's dictatorship in the 1989 Paraguayan coup d'état, and its consequences would extend at least until the beginning of the following decade.
Edgar Linneo Ynsfrán Doldán was a Paraguayan politician who held important governmental posts during the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner. He became Minister of the Interior in Paraguay in 1956, and held key roles in the severe political repressions of the late 50s and early 60s in the country. He was dismissed from his post in 1966 and retired from politics until the mid-1980s, when he emerged as one of the leaders of the anti-Stroessner movement within the military and the Colorado Party.
Juan Manuel Frutos Fleitas was a Paraguayan politician and government minister under the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner. He was the founder and first chairman of the Rural Welfare Institute, and as such, he was one of the key figures of the Stroessner administration's economic policy, spearheading the "March to the East" land reclamation and colonization project of the 1960s-1980s. Frutos, a staunch anti-communist, also served as an ideologue of the Stroessner regime, and was the chairman of the Paraguayan branch of the World League for Freedom and Democracy anti-communist organization.
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